The present invention relates to a suspension fork for a bicycle.
Employing suspension forks in bicycles has basically been known for a long time. Suspension forks configured in particular as telescopic suspension forks are installed in downhill and mountain bikes and in cross-country bikes, and increasingly in everyday bicycles as well.
Most suspension forks comprise a pair of tubes stationary that are relative to the bicycle frame, the so-called stanchion tubes, and two lower, movable tubes, the so-called slider tubes, to which the wheel hub is fastened. The stanchion tubes may be held together by means of a fork bridge or fork crown at the center of which the fork column is attached as a rule. Most slider tubes or outer tubes are larger in diameter so as to accommodate the stanchion tubes to be slidingly displaceable in the slider tubes.
The riders of suspension fork-equipped bicycles desire suspension forks whose springing and damping characteristics can be easily and quickly adjusted to speedily adapt the current suspension fork characteristics to actual ambient conditions.
When the cyclist rides up a steep hill or a steep incline it is advantageous if the suspension fork compresses such that the inclination angle of the rider or the bicycle is reduced. This enables the rider to move the overall center of gravity forward such that the feeling or the risk of a backwards roll-over is reduced.
To achieve compression of the suspension fork and prohibit subsequent decompression, it is possible in known suspension forks to activate a shut-off valve for locking the rebound stage so as to lock the fluid path in the rebound stage. Subsequently only compressing is enabled until the suspension fork has reached the maximum compressed state. By locking the rebound stage, rebound is effectively prevented.
By way of such activating of the shut-off valve for the rebound stage, the angle of the bicycle on a steep inline is effectively reduced. There is the drawback, however, that complete compression will also cause the trail angle and the steering angle to change greatly.
Against the background of the described prior art it is therefore the object of the present invention to provide a suspension fork allowing a defined compression of the suspension fork in steep uphill grades.